Docs / Getting started / First task
Your first task
Pick one concrete outcome you can verify in a single thread. Avoid “do everything” prompts until you have seen a successful end-to-end run. If you have not signed in yet, start with getting started — you need a dashboard account and an active thread before chat.
Before you send the prompt
- Open the dashboard and create a thread (one job per thread keeps context clean).
- Decide which capability the task needs: browser (visit a URL), files (upload to
~/files/), or integration (Notion, Sheets, GitHub — connect under Settings → Connect first). - State what “done” looks like: bullet count, output format, or a named file to produce.
Prompt structure tips: sending messages.
Good first tasks (copy-paste starters)
These use minimal credits and do not require paid features on Free.
- Browser research snapshot — uses browser automation and often web search.
“Open https://example.com/pricing and list every plan name, monthly price, and one feature bullet per plan. Reply in a markdown table.” - Page structure read — good when you want to test browser without integrations.
“Visit {URL} and return the page title, meta description, and all H2 headings as a numbered list.” - File cleanup — upload a short note or CSV to the thread, then ask for structure via file editing.
“Read notes.txt in my workspace. Add H2 headings, turn loose lines into action items, and save as notes-structured.md.” - Integration read — only after OAuth is saved in Settings.
“Summarize the first 10 rows of my {Notion database name} — columns: Name, Status, Owner. Bullets only, no writes.” (Notion) or “List sheet names in my connected spreadsheet and row counts for the active tab.” (Sheets — see integration guides).
How you know it worked
- The assistant returns the requested format (table, bullets, file path) without you re-explaining the goal.
- Tool traces in the thread show the expected skill (
browser_*,file_*,notion_*, etc.). - For file tasks, you can download the output from the thread or find it under
~/files/in later messages.
On Free you have 100 AI credits and 30 browser minutes per month — a short research or file job should cost a fraction of that. Caps: limits FAQ.
Save for later (not first)
- Multi-step workflows across three apps in one message.
- Outbound WhatsApp or email sends (paid caps; connect integrations first).
- Scheduled cron before you have run the same prompt manually once.
- Login flows that need saved credentials — see troubleshooting after basics work.
After it works
Save the prompt that worked as a template in your notes. Reuse it in the same thread for tweaks, or open a fresh thread for a new topic. Next steps: assign the duty to a Specialist, or turn it into a scheduled task when the output is consistently right.
Related: threads & memory · How CloudyBot works